Marquette chat with Matt Velazquez

Submit questions about the Golden Eagles men's basketball team in advance of our MU chat at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

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With the transfers out will MU look to add any players for the spring signing period and if so who do they have a good shot of getting?

by James /Eau Claire12/28/2016 1:01:38 AM

Happy holidays, everyone! Glad to be back answering your questions. When it comes to James' query, I think the official Wojo answer would be that Marquette never stops recruiting and will look at all available options — just like they always do. The team has three open scholarship spots for next year, so there's lots of wiggle room. Could still check out the midseason transfer market, grad transfers in the spring (Wojo's already nabbed two of those in his time at MU) and could even look at incoming freshmen, though there aren't as many left in the top 100. Time will tell.

by Matt Velazquez12/28/2016 1:04:33 AM

Why does it seem so hard for MU to recruit big men. Going back to the McGuire years I can count the number of true centers on one hand?

by Tom12/28/2016 1:04:37 AM

I can't speak for the years that I wasn't covering the beat, but every recruiting cycle and every coach is different. Wojo has had Luke Fischer, who has been a reliable option, and is bringing Theo John & Ike Eke in for next year, who seem like they has the tools and athleticism to succeed. They're both around 6-foot-10, so they could fill the center role. We'll see if that's how they're used.

by Matt Velazquez12/28/2016 1:06:39 AM

With MU defense being so poor against quality opponents, do you see Wojo trying other zone defenses besides the 2-3? Potentially the 1-3-1 with JJJ on top. I know he loves man to man, but switching things up during the game could cause some disruption.

by Dwayne12/28/2016 1:06:49 AM

I could see the 2-3 and the 1-3-1 getting work. Obviously the 1-3-1 hasn't been used thus far, but we're seen Wojo use it in past years. The Golden Eagles will definitely have to do something to keep opponents in check — you can't count on your offense to bail you out by scoring 85+ on a nightly basis.

by Matt Velazquez12/28/2016 1:08:00 AM

Matt - What do you think of Coach Wojo's performance after 2 and one half years at Marquette? I would give him a pass on the first year because he had no talent to work with. Last year should signs of progress with Ellenson on the team. This year they can score more but lack size and depth. Can he make up for the loss of Ellenson, Carter and Cohen but either getting some junior college transfers or improving on the recruits he already has coming in next year? I would sure like to see MU in the NCAA Tournament again.

by Bob - Greenfield12/28/2016 1:08:56 AM

As I mentioned as a guest on the Real Chilly Podcast, I think progress has been reasonable to this point. In Year 1, Wojo spent most of the season with an 8-man roster that wasn't overwhelmingly talented and got them playing hard-nosed, respectable basketball. Henry Ellenson's decision to play at Marquette boosted expectations by an extraordinary amount and Marquette — even if it did play a relatively soft non-conference schedule — hit the 20-win mark. If Ellenson didn't come to Marquette, there's no way the Golden Eagles win as many games and they wouldn't have been expected to. Now Ellenson's gone, but I think it's fair to say that Marquette as a team is better than it was last year — we just have to see if the record bears that out. The goal is always the NCAA Tournament, but even the NIT would be a positive development for this season. Next year's recruiting class, which as we mentioned can still grow, will bring more athleticism and balance to the team. Wojo is trying to build something that will be sustainable and right now he seems to be taking the program in the right direction.

by Matt Velazquez12/28/2016 1:13:59 AM

How do you plan to step up your coverage of Marquette and take it to the next level during Big East play?

by Steve W12/28/2016 1:14:01 AM

I'm going to take that as, "Matt, you're performing at a high level. How can things get even better?" Challenge accepted. Big East season means more travel, which means more reporting that you won't find anywhere else since I'm usually the only reporter that covers Marquette on the road. That's one thing. We at the Journal Sentinel are also working on extra coverage to highlight the 100 years of Marquette basketball. I've already done some searching through the Journal and Sentinel archives and have conducted a bunch of interviews with players as far back as the 1940s. I'm still doing more interviews and am excited to see what the final result is. I don't know when it will run, but don't miss it.

by Matt Velazquez12/28/2016 1:16:57 AM

Defensive rebounding has been good this year, will this continue in conference games?

by Kareem Pye12/28/2016 1:17:18 AM

Part of the reason it has been good is because Marquette has stuck to its man-to-man defense. Defensive rebounding while playing zone is more difficult. If the Golden Eagles switch to zone in an effort to get more stops, there could be a tradeoff where teams get more offensive rebounds. Thus far, Marquette has done a good job of attacking the boards as a team, which will definitely have to continue if it wants to have success in the Big East.

by Matt Velazquez12/28/2016 1:18:43 AM

I have noticed a glaring lack of quality of play or talent improvement since buzz William's departure. How long will coach wojo get to "rebuild" the program before the alumni start getting impatient?

by Jon12/28/2016 1:18:49 AM

Some alumni were impatient two years ago based on Twitter and fan boards. I think rebuilding takes time. He's trying to find foundational players he can build around and I believe we're starting to see some of those guys in Haanif Cheatham, Markus Howard and Sam Hauser. At some point, freshmen will stop getting playing time right from the get-go because the players already on the team will be better. During a rebuild that's not always the case, especially if you're having success on the recruiting trail. All that said, recruiting success and talent need to result in postseason appearances in the next couple years to show tangible progress.

by Matt Velazquez12/28/2016 1:21:58 AM

Why do we not have Fischer show harder on ball screens. The ball handler gets around him all the time leading to an easy drive to the basket. What would be the bennifits to a harder show? Drawbacks?

by Pistol_Brad12/28/2016 1:22:12 AM

Recently Wojo discussed riding out screens. Often Luke (or whoever is defending the screener) will continue to double the ball if they player is someone they're worried will shoot if let uncovered. When Marquette doubles, it's usually someone they believe is a very good shooter and they want to dissuade him from shooting. If he passes out, the rest of the defense needs to rotate and adjust. If Luke shows then retreats, the idea is that the person who got screened needs to recover and/or Luke needs to respect the roller. Obviously in that situation the trailing defender may not recover in time or Luke may be caught between defending the ball or the roller, which could lead to an easy basket for whichever guy he doesn't defend. At least that's my understanding — pick and roll defense is not easy.

by Matt Velazquez12/28/2016 1:26:24 AM

Matt, Do you know if Wally Ellinson is still in school ? I was wondering if You think Marquette might ask him top rejoin the team for the Big East run? 9 scholarship players seems a bit light . Also, have you talked anyone from coaches to family or close friends of Henry Ellinson in regards to his decision to enter the NBA ? I am wondering if there are any regrets ? He is getting maybe 2 minutes a game, only in blowouts and is the 12th man on the team. Seems to me the decision that he made could actually hurt his career. Probably should have developed his talent with another 1 or 2 years in college. What do you think after his 1st 3 months with the Pistons ?

Scott

by Scott Mate12/28/2016 1:26:26 AM

Wally is no longer at Marquette. He's playing for the Windsor Express in the Canadian pro basketball league. He first got drafted by the L.A. D-Fenders of the NBA D-League, but didn't join that squad. I haven't talked to anyone in the Ellenson family since the draft, but at that point there were absolutely no regrets. He's due to make $8+ million on his first contract and then he'll hit the big-money second contract when he's still in his early 20s. He may not be playing much, but he's getting paid and he's progressing toward that second contract. If he had stayed in college he might have gotten better, but he also might have gotten hurt. Even if he had progressed in college, he still could have dropped in the draft due to the high quality and depth of this year's one and done crop. He's developing with the Pistons and that's fine. He's in a similar situation to Thon Maker, but the Bucks have a different philosophy than the Pistons. The Bucks like to keep rookies with them so they can learn and get used to the NBA grind. The Pistons are more inclined to get their rookies extra game reps by sending them to the D-League.

by Matt Velazquez12/28/2016 1:30:51 AM

What about the defense needs to be fixed? (Many have mentioned pick-and-roll coverage, for example.)

by @mubbnation12/28/2016 1:31:38 AM

Pick and roll defense needs work, yes. I think just as important is guys on the help side rotating to the right spots at the right times. In an aggressive defense like Marquette's where players go for steals, guys need to know which space on the floor they need to occupy to shut down passing/driving lanes when someone misses a steal. That also applies to when guards get beat off the dribble. Everyone else needs to slide to help when someone gets beat and knowing where you need to be, where your other teammates are going to be and where offensive players are going to be takes some practice.

by Matt Velazquez12/28/2016 1:34:35 AM

I would like to know what is it going to take to start beating the good teams in the Big East and get to the NCAA tourney?

by Ryaninkzoo12/28/2016 1:35:11 AM

That's a pretty broad question. If you're talking about this year, beating the top teams comes down to preparing well on a team-by-team basis and playing a flawless or near-flawless game. You're not beating Villanova without playing a perfect game and even then you'll need some luck. As important as beating the good teams is not losing to the bad ones. If Marquette hadn't lost at home to DePaul last season, the Golden Eagles might have gotten an NIT bid.

by Matt Velazquez12/28/2016 1:38:25 AM

Too many depatures from the program - what gives? And do the departures hurt recruiting?

by Eddie12/28/2016 1:38:28 AM

The departures really don't surprise me. Let's look at the list:

Gabe Levin: Left almost as soon as he arrived. Not a fit. Whatever.

John Dawson: Wasn't getting playing time and probably wasn't going to.

Deonte Burton: Went to Marquette to be close to family. After his mom passed away he decided he wanted a change of scenery. Totally understandable.

Steve Taylor Jr.: Henry Ellenson was coming in and was going to take just about all of his playing time. That's not how he wanted to spend his senior year.

Henry Ellenson: Went to the NBA after being Big East freshman of the year. Not a bad idea.

Wally Ellenson: Team did not renew his scholarship. Fit didn't work out.

Sandy Cohen: He says he wanted more playing time but didn't/wasn't going to beat out Sam Hauser.

Traci Carter: Said he wanted to be closer to family in Philadelphia. Worth noting, Markus Howard seems to be the PG of the future.

I don't think the departures hurt recruiting that much. Sure, other coaches will try to point to it as an issue, but I think Wojo & Co. can explain each situation and explain to individual recruits why that won't be the case with them. Every recruit I've talked to — whether they came to MU or not — told me Wojo was a straight shooter and they like that about him.

by Matt Velazquez12/28/2016 1:43:31 AM

Ok, let's be honest, it is probably going to take an 11-7, maybe a 10-8 minimum record in Big East play plus a victory or two in the conference tourney to get into the big dance. A few quality wins would sure help as our RPI and SOS are an anchor so far. Zero quality wins. What do you say?

by Wally Warrior12/28/2016 1:45:15 AM

I think it's going to take an above .500 record in the Big East to get into the NCAA Tournament — depending on who those wins are against. If Marquette's playing on Day 1 of the Big East tournament its only hope is probably 3 wins in the Big East tournament, which would mean upsetting the No. 1 or No. 2 seed on the way. The strength of schedule is improved from last year and as I can see right now Marquette's RPI is 96. Those will both improve over the course of the Big East season. The loss to Pitt really hurts as that was an attainable quality win. I'd disagree with saying the Golden Eagles have zero quality wins — beating Georgia on the road is a quality win, especially if the Bulldogs finish in the top 3-4 in the SEC.

by Matt Velazquez12/28/2016 1:47:49 AM

Hello, are departures of Cohen and Carter just the norm. They don't agree with their playing time so just decide to leave! It seems pretty drastic to leave school and sit a year, unless they want to become professional students. When I was at Marquette in the early 80s it seemed most fringe players were happy with the major division 1 experience. Now it seems a fine line between playing time, or coaching staff gives you a nudge to leave the program if they don't think you can contribute.

by Paul Bicha12/28/2016 1:47:52 AM

As I mentioned earlier, they're pretty much the norm. Players move all the time and it affects most if not all programs. Players want to play and there are places they can do that. I'm always slightly surprised by midseason transfers since NCAA rules aren't very forgiving (if you play at all you burn that season and then when you resume playing in the spring a year later you burn another season by playing one semester). But every year players do it. That's just the way it is.

by Matt Velazquez12/28/2016 1:50:36 AM

Why does the program continue to struggle with transfers? Are the coaches making promises they can't keep, or do the players have unrealistic expecatations? How does this affect recruiting. If I was competing with MU for a player, I would definitely point out how many players are unhappy enough to leave.

by bmoore12/28/2016 1:50:48 AM

I think I covered this in previous answers, but I'll try to take a different approach. Part of Marquette's transfer "issues" have come because of good recruiting and player development. Sandy Cohen got a bunch of playing time as a freshman and into his sophomore year. Then he hit a slump and Jajuan Johnson demonstrated drastic improvement and took his playing time. Then Sam Hauser came in and has deservedly gotten lots of playing time, which meant even less for Cohen. Could that have changed if Cohen stayed? Sure, if he proved in practice and in whatever playing time he got that he deserved to be on the floor. He decided to leave instead. Traci Carter, who said he left for family reasons and I have no reason not to believe him, was part of a 3-man PG by committee and showed he was capable of contributing. Still, Markus Howard was making inroads on the starting spot. That competition is positive for Marquette over the long run.

by Matt Velazquez12/28/2016 1:54:56 AM

Hi Matt. Last year, Marquette had one five-star recruit (Ellenson), based on Rivals.com, and six four-star recruits (Fischer, Johnson, Wilson, Cohen, Carter, and Cheatham). Granted, some of them were young, but do you know whether any other team with that many four- and five-star players has ever failed to make the NCAA tournament, much less the NIT? Do you think it's a reflection of Wojo"s coaching abilities?

by Scott12/28/2016 1:55:07 AM

I don't know those recruiting star numbers off the top of my head. Washington had two first-round NBA draft picks last season and was bounced in the second round of the NIT. LSU had Ben Simmons — the No. 1 NBA draft pick — as well as a McDonald's All-American (Antonio Blakeney) and didn't make the postseason. In fact, I think Tim Quarterman was a 4/5-star recruit, too. I don't think it's a major negative reflection on Wojo's coaching abilities. It was a young team with a soft non-conference schedule that was going to need to exceed expectations in the Big East to have a chance. Also, there were more automatic bids to the NIT last season than ever before. In a normal year, I think Marquette might have made the NIT, but last year was something we had never seen before. Them's the breaks.

by Matt Velazquez12/28/2016 2:00:57 AM

Matt: I get it that Wojo uses positive and negative emotions on his players. And I get it that D-1 BB players know what they signed up for. But does Wojo kinda over-do it with the yelling and screaming? I mean, after a while "the challenging” has got to de-motivate the players. And in what other management position does a supervisor, manager or boss scream and yell at their employees to improve performance? For example, I sell screen doors for submarines and my boss never screams and yells at me when a project goes underwater.

by Big Al12/28/2016 2:01:14 AM

I don't think he overdoes it. He's passionate, he's involved in the game and at the end of the day I think his players know he's on their side. When he's yelling and screaming he's not always doing it at a player(s) in a negative way — sometimes it's just teaching and trying to get over the crowd noise. He doesn't grab guys on the sideline and chew them out or anything like that. In practices he's pretty even-keel unless there are repeated mistakes and even then his ire — at least when I've seen it — is almost always aimed at the group instead of one guy. He's challenged individuals in the past, but doing so doesn't always mean screaming or getting in their faces. It could be as simple as saying something like, "You need to do better and I know you can. Now go do it."

by Matt Velazquez12/28/2016 2:04:36 AM

Do you think wojo has plans to continue recruiting Jacob Epperson?

by ‪@GoldenEagles_MU ‬12/28/2016 2:06:01 AM

I don't know what the plans are with Epperson, but I know Marquette has been watching him.

by Matt Velazquez12/28/2016 2:06:18 AM

Now that conference play is here do you think wojo will play Heldt and Fisher more facing bigger opponents?

by ‪@GoldenEagles_MU ‬12/28/2016 2:06:22 AM

Do you mean together? Maybe. We'll see how he handles things on Wednesday night against Georgetown since the Hoyas are the second-tallest team in the Big East and one of the 35 tallest in the country.

by Matt Velazquez12/28/2016 2:07:04 AM

Do you think it's possible one time buzz recruit Philip Flory walks on to Marquette?

by ‪@GoldenEagles_MU ‬12/28/2016 2:07:07 AM

I haven't heard anything about that.

by Matt Velazquez12/28/2016 2:07:14 AM

Do you see mu playing 500 ball in the Big East? I I presume it will take that kind of record for mu to return to the big dance?!

by Luigi12/28/2016 2:07:46 AM

As mentioned earlier, it really depends who the wins come against. A win against Villanova helps more than a win over Seton Hall, for example, though a loss to DePaul or St. John's hurts a lot. I think the Golden Eagles will need a regular-season Big East record over .500 to have a chance to dance.

by Matt Velazquez12/28/2016 2:08:36 AM

What is the most effective role for Katin Reinhardt on this team?

by TulsaWarrior12/28/2016 2:08:43 AM

I think he can be a solid shooter/scorer off then bench. He doesn't shoot as well as Sam Hauser — well, he hasn't in games thus far — and doesn't drive/defend as well as Jajuan Johnson. As long as Reinhardt plays within the offense, takes good shots and makes smart decisions he can be a spark.

by Matt Velazquez12/28/2016 2:10:01 AM

Any word on a possible Mid season transfer?

by ‪@GoldenEagles_MU ‬12/28/2016 2:10:12 AM

I haven't heard any buzz, but that doesn't disqualify anything from happening. Still some time before the spring semester starts.

by Matt Velazquez12/28/2016 2:10:50 AM

Besides the 2-3 has MU worked on another zone ?

by ‪@GoldenEagles_MU ‬12/28/2016 2:10:59 AM

I haven't seen any other zone work, but I'd guess they're at least started to implement the 1-3-1. Wojo has said it's good to be a pitcher who can throw a variety of pitches. Not to mention he's used it in the past.

by Matt Velazquez12/28/2016 2:11:44 AM

What impact will the three freshmen have next year? How much time do you think Heldt will get next year?

by Brad12/28/2016 2:11:46 AM

This will be the last one of the night. Thanks for all the questions, everyone. When it comes to the freshmen, I think Theo John and Jamal Cain will have opportunities to get some playing time, especially with Fischer, Johnson and Reinhardt graduating. Cain fits in on the wing where Johnson/Reinhardt's minutes will be up for grabs and John will have opportunities to prove himself at center. Ike Eke is a very athletic and talented player but he's still fairly new to basketball and a bit raw. Matt Heldt's playing time will be up to him. If he continues to get stronger physically and improves his game like he did this summer he can make a case to start with Fischer gone.